(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) Oman Marketing & Services Co (OMASCO), Honda's sole distributor in Oman, has confirmed the international recall on CR-V SUVs manufactured between 2002 and 2006, and has begun contacting owners of the model. Muscat Daily had on Monday reported the recall of some 268,000 CR-Vs sold in the US due to the risk of power window switches catching fire in case of water penetration. Latest reports said that nearly 490,000 units had been recalled worldwide on Monday.Although there were no official figures on how many vehicles would be recalled in Oman, OMASCO said that more than 150 owners had been contacted on Monday and that there was no cause for panic.''We have received information from Honda Motors, and our call centre operators are contacting concerned vehicle owners,'' said Freddy C L, manager of advertising and sales promotions, OMASCO. ''Safety is a priority for Honda and customers need not wait for their vehicle's next service to get the modifications done,'' he said.Saying that recalls are common in the automotive industry, Adil Saeed, OMASCO's customer relations manager said, ''There is no cause for alarm, yet we urge owners to come get the modifications done. Just today, we contacted more than 150 people. The modifications take a maximum of an hour and a half.'' A statement on the Japanese automaker's official site in the US, www.Honda.com, said that the concerned vehicles would be inspected and repairs or replacements to switch would be made.''Under severe conditions, rain water or other spilled liquids may enter through an open driver's window and enter the master power window switch on the driver's door. Over time, exposure to water and other fluids can cause electrical resistance in the switch, which ultimately can cause the switch to overheat and melt, damaging the switch and potentially damaging an associated wire harness.Additionally, if a switch melts, it could produce smoke and, potentially cause a fire, creating a risk to motor vehicle safety,'' according to the statement which also mentioned that four switch fires have been reported but no crashes or injuries have occurred.In some markets, 2003-2007 year models of the V6 Honda Accord are being recalled due to faulty power steering hoses, but according to Saeed, OMASCO hasn't had a Honda Accord recall in over a year, ''It is possible that Gulf specification models that are sold in GCC don't have that problem. In any case, Honda Motor Co sends us a list of affected models we may have sold whenever there is a recall and of late, we have received nothing regarding the Honda Accord.'' Honda's US unit last Monday announced it would recall 572,000 Accords.
